“Ek taraf Mohammed, ek taraf Krishna”: Shubhman Gill's alleged 'Dono Tabahi' remark raised controversy

India found themselves under pressure on Day 5 of the 1st Test against England, as the visiting team cruised to 181/0 before rain interrupted play during the post-lunch session. After the break, England swiftly chased down the remaining 190 runs to secure a win and go 1-0 up in the series. While Indian bowlers struggled to make inroads, captain Shubman Gill was seen actively encouraging his team, even making a comment that quickly went viral.

Caught on the stump mic, Gill was heard saying: “Ek taraf Mohammed hai, ek taraf Krishna. Dono tabahi machayega"
(Translation: “There’s Mohammed on one side and Krishna on the other—both will cause destruction”).

😭😭😭😭😭https://t.co/6uFiWiSVoz https://t.co/UGKJ7LHrYz

— Rathore (@bcci_x) June 24, 2025

Did Gill just say “Ek taraf se Mohammed hai, ek taraf se Krishna, dono tabahi macha denge?” 😭

— Shivani Shukla (@iShivani_Shukla) June 24, 2025

During the course of the innings, Ben Duckett capitalized on a dropped catch, Yashasvi Jaiswal couldn’t hold on to a mis-timed shot when Duckett was on 98. The England opener went on to score 149 runs, anchoring a record-breaking opening stand with Zak Crawley.

Earlier in the session, Crawley too got a reprieve after Jasprit Bumrah missed a difficult return catch.

By the lunch break, Duckett had hit 13 boundaries, while Crawley played a more measured knock, reaching 57 off 119 balls, including six fours.

Commenting on the day’s play, Sanjay Manjrekar analyzed India’s chances during the final two sessions. Speaking on JioHotstar, he remarked: "Have England become the favourites now? Before the session, I rated it 70-30 in India’s favour. Now, I’d say it’s evenly poised at 50-50. Not entirely in England's favour yet, because Bumrah still poses a threat, and the unpredictable English weather is always a factor. The pitch looked completely flat—not due to poor bowling. Even Bumrah got no help. Maybe the heavy roller played a part. Hopefully, the surface livens up post-lunch and India can take a couple of quick wickets. But England's real strength lies in their temperament during fourth-innings chases."